Bedridden
by NansJns
Summary: Takes place during the three year wait for the Andriods. When ChiChi suddenly falls very ill, Goku has to take care of her. One of my older fics.


The oddest things inspire me - this time, the cold and flu season is to blame.

I don't own Dragon Ball Z - weep. So don't get on my case, okay?

This takes place during the 3 years they were training for the Androids.

Oh, and as this describes someone with a really bad case of the flu, there will be some gross scenes. Sorry.

Bedridden

by

NansJns

"COUGH COUGH COUGH HAAACK COUGH COUGH!" Goku was awakened by the violent coughing fit coming from the small body next to his. He blinked, rolled over, and watched his wife's slender body shake as she continued to cough. After a few seconds the fit subsided, but her breathing was thin and ragged. A thin, sickly moan escaped Chi-Chi's throat.

"Chi-Chi, are you all right?" Goku asked as he placed one hand on her shoulder. Chi-Chi slowly rolled over to face him, sniffling as she went. Goku sat up at the sight of her flushed, sweaty face.

"I feel awful," she admitted, and then shivered. Goku cupped her face gently, then pressed his palm to her forehead.

"You're feverish," he said as he felt the incredibly increased body heat coming from her.

"But I feel cold," Chi-Chi murmured sluggishly.

"Hm, fever and chills, bad cough, runny nose. . .anything else?" Goku brushed her hair out of her face gently, his voice soft and soothing.

"My head hurts, so does my throat. . .I ache all over. . ." Chi-Chi squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her fingers to her cheeks. "Oh. . ." Chi-Chi moaned as she tried to sit up. She stopped halfway and then went back down. "Ooh!" she groaned.

"Chi-Chi. . ." Goku's entire face was filled with concern.

"J-just a little dizzy. . .and seeing spots," Chi-Chi said, and then coughed again.

"Okay, then. You stay right there, you're obviously too sick to get up. I'll bring you some breakfast and medicine," Goku stated and stood up. Chi-Chi made a small, choking sound.

"I don't think I can eat anything right now," she observed. Her stomach started doing flip-flops the moment food was mentioned.

"It'll be something nice and bland, not to worry," Goku smiled comfortingly at her as he tucked her in and stroked her hair. "Just get some rest, okay?"

"Okay," Chi-Chi sighed lightly. "Goku, please close the curtains. . .the light is hurting my eyes and making my headache worse."

"All right, no problem," Goku nodded and pulled the curtains over the window, sending the room into a light darkness.

"Thank you," she sighed softly. Goku watched her for a few moments in silence, feeling his heart start hurting. He dressed quickly and then left the room.

Gohan came bouncing into the kitchen cheerfully and sat down at the table. His father was cooking breakfast, pouring what looked to be extra-bland oatmeal into a bowl on a tray.

"Morning, Daddy! Where's Mom?" Gohan asked his father's back. Goku looked over his shoulder and flashed his boy a quick, half-hearted smile that was gone almost as soon as it was there.

"Sick in bed," Goku told him. Gohan's cheerful attitude evaporated and he twisted around in his chair to look in the direction of his parents' bedroom.

"She is? Is she real bad?" Gohan said as the sound of coughing reached his ears.

"Bad enough. You'll train with Piccolo by yourself today," Goku answered as he put some eggs in front of his son and headed for the bedroom with the tray and oatmeal. A bottle of medicine and a glass of water sat in the upper corners of the tray, and a thermometer was laid next to the bowl with a spoon.

"Huh?" Gohan blinked, almost surprised by the statement.

"I'm staying here to take care of your mother, and you're training with Piccolo," Goku explained a little more throughly before he stepped into the bedroom. Chi-Chi opened her eyes a little at the sound of the door opening, only to quickly shut them again when Goku turned on the light. The simple light from the lamp hurt her eyes. Seeing her wince in pain, Goku quickly hit the light switch again.

"I'm sorry, Honey!" he said as he set the tray across her lap. He gently wrapped his arms around her shoulders and helped her into a sitting position.

"Ooh, Goku, I really don't think I can eat. . ." Chi-Chi gritted her teeth and forced the bile in her throat back down.

"Try. You shouldn't take this medicine on an empty stomach, and you can't get better if you don't eat," Goku coaxed, and Chi-Chi picked up the spoon with a trembling hand. She took a scoop of oatmeal and raised it slowly, her hand shaking all the way. Goku reached out and held his hand a little below her own, in case she dropped her spoon. Chi-Chi forced the bite down, and then another and another. Goku offered her the water, and she sipped it. She was just starting to think she was going to be okay when her stomach lurched. She twisted away from Goku as quickly as she could and vomited into the trash can by her bed. Goku quickly pulled her hair out of the way, then held it all in one hand so he could rub her back with his other hand to comfort her. She retched painfully for what seemed like a long time. "Chi-Chi, I'm so sorry! I should have listened to you!" he said.

"It. . .it's all right. . ." she gagged and then drew in several slow breaths. Goku sighed softly. It was already set in his mind: he wasn't leaving her until she was completely better again. Gohan looked in on them briefly, wincing at his mother's obvious discomfort.

"I'm going now, but I'll be back as soon as I can. Get better soon, Mom," Gohan called to them, and Goku gave him a quick nod. Chi-Chi made a small gesture with her hand to send him off. He hesitated for a second more, and then turned on his heel and left. When they were both sure Chi-Chi had finished throwing up, Goku took the trash can and cleaned it. He brought it back lined with a trash bag, in case that happened again.

Piccolo glanced over his shoulder at the feel of Gohan's approaching ki. He turned completely around when he realized Goku wasn't with him. The young boy flew up to his teacher and smiled a little in way of greeting.

"Hi, Piccolo," Gohan said.

"Where's Goku? We need to get started," Piccolo demanded gruffly. He could still feel Goku at his house.

"He's not coming today. My. . ." Gohan started.

"WHAT! Not coming! Why! This is important!" Piccolo barked loudly, and Gohan almost cringed away.

"I was about to tell you! My mom is really sick, so my dad is staying home to take care of her. I don't think he wants her to get out of bed," Gohan answered quickly and firmly. Piccolo grunted.

"I see. Well, then, lets get to it," he dropped into a combat stance and raised his ki. Gohan did the same. Gohan spared one quick, backwards glance toward his house before he emptied his mind of everything but training. A quick, fluttering thought passed through his mind before combat completely seized it - ((I should bring Mom some flowers when I come home.))

Chi-Chi made a disgusted face as she swallowed the medicine. She had managed to get down a few more bites of oatmeal and keep them down, so Goku had decided to give her the unpleasant orange liquid now to knock down her symptoms some. Chi-Chi sighed unhappily as she sipped her water to wash out the taste.

"Let's take your temperature, okay?" Goku held up the thermometer, and Chi-Chi nodded. He put it in her mouth and they waited for the little chirp that would say it was done. It was a digital thermometer, with the CC logo brand printed on it. After a minute, the expected chirp came, and Goku took the device back. Its little window read 103 F. "103," he told her. Her fever-blurred vision rested on her husband's handsome, healthy face.

"I see. How much longer will you stay?" she asked hoarsely after a moment. Goku stared at her wide-eyed.

"For the rest of today, tomorrow, and however long it takes for you to get well again," he answered, his voice firm and serious. Chi-Chi blinked a few times.

"You really mean it?" Chi-Chi's words ended in a harsh cough.

"Of course. I promise, I'm not going to run off when you need me. I'm not going more than ten feet from this house," he cupped her left, fever-heated cheek in his cool hand and smiled at her. A look of relief filled her face. "Now," Goku said as he took the tray, "why don't you get some rest? Unless you think you can eat some more."

"No, I can't. . .sleep sounds good," Chi-Chi nodded lightly and slid back into the sheets. Goku stepped out of the room, closed the door, and froze for a moment, his eyes squeezed shut as he held back the pain. ((She actually thought. . .I was going to leave her when she's like this? Is that what she thinks of me? Is that how I've acted?)) An immense wave of guilt crashed through him as he walked to the kitchen and deposited the bowl in the sink. He got a box of tissues and slipped back into his room to put it on Chi-Chi's night stand.

"Thank you," she sighed sleepily.

"You're welcome. . .Sweetheart," Goku answered softly. He watched her until she fell asleep, and then stepped out quietly. He trotted to the kitchen and made himself breakfast as silently as he could - which, apart from the frying pan he dropped and the glass he held so tightly it shattered, was very silent indeed.

"15,468. . .15,469. . ." Goku was doing push-ups outside his bedroom window. Chi-Chi had slept through the entire morning, and most of the afternoon. The sun was sinking lower into the sky now, and Goku was doing one of the few exercises he could without making a lot of noise. His goal was to hit at least 20,000 before he stopped, but the plan came to a grinding halt when his sensitive hearing picked up something.

"Goku? Where are you? Could you come here, please?" Chi-Chi's voice was grating through her sore throat, and the words were followed by another violent round of coughing. Goku seemed to wink out from where he was stretched out on the ground, and reappeared in the bedroom.

"Here I am, Chi-Chi. What do you need?" Goku asked quickly. Chi-Chi rolled her head to him groggily, a tiny moan escaping her lips before she could stop it.

"I'm a little hungry. . .could I have some soup, please? And a little more medicine?" Chi-Chi coughed, then grabbed a tissue and blew her nose. Goku noticed that the can was already a quarter full with tissues. He flashed his wife a smile.

"Soup? No problem! I'll be back in a few moments," he proclaimed brightly, and headed for the door. He stopped before completely leaving the room. "How's the stomach, by the way?"

"In open rebellion. It wants food, but it doesn't want food. But Dad always gave me soup when I was sick as a child, so it should be okay," Chi-Chi croaked back.

"I'll bring something for your throat, too," Goku observed, and took off to the kitchen. So far as he could tell, he was doing a pretty good job playing nursemaid. Gohan had never gotten sick like this that he knew of; he had never had to take care of anyone like this before. But he seemed to be doing all right. Goku started gathering ingredients and tried to remember what Chi-Chi did when she made soup. He wasn't much of a cook, but chicken noodle soup couldn't be all that hard, could it?

Goku came back with the soup almost an hour later. He was a trifle messy, but he had the soup, and it was actually pretty decent. A little salty, maybe, but still fairly tasty. He also had various medicines and Gohan's boom-box. He set the tray on Chi-Chi's lap like he had earlier, and helped her sit up like before, and then set up the boom box. He popped in a CD and hit play. After a second or two of the sound of the CD spinning up to speed, the sounds of various instruments came out, playing a light, sweet melody.

"I thought you might like something soothing to listen to," he explained. "It's also a way to apologize for taking so long with your soup," he diverted his eyes and hoped she didn't notice the red on his cheeks.

"That's so sweet of you, Goku," Chi-Chi whispered back. Her throat hurt too much to speak at her normal volume. Goku fished into his pocket and pulled out some throat lozenges.

"Here, you should probably take one of these before you eat," he observed as he handed her one of the supposedly cherry-flavored pieces. Chi-Chi nodded as she popped it into her mouth and allowed the medicine to dissolve. She then turned to her soup and began sipping it up little by little. Goku sat nearby and watched, ready to help if she vomited again. A couple of times she started to gag, but she managed to get it all down and keep it there for a while. Goku gave her another dose of medicine and took the tray, as before, and she settled deeper into the sheets and listened to the music. Goku took the tray to the kitchen, humming the instrumental tune playing in the bedroom as he went. He glanced nervously at the mess he had made while preparing the soup, not to mention the leftovers from his own lunch, then sighed and went back to his bedroom, still humming. Chi-Chi was half asleep, and sighed softly. She sniffed, then coughed. Goku sat next to her on the bed, and ran his fingertips across her burning cheek. The music filled the room, and as he listened, Goku found himself quietly singing to Chi-Chi the first words that came to mind.

"_I know you hate it when I go away,_

_ and it scares you when I take our son with me,_

_ but with you my heart will always safely stay, _

_and I'll come home to you when the fighting's done._

"_I thought the war was done,_

_We'd have peace, raise our son._

_But a dark cloud always seems to be_

_On the horizon, waiting for me._

"_To keep that dark cloud back,_

_It seems we have to attack. . ._

_If it keeps those I love safe, then_

_I don't mind fighting again._

"_One last battle, Love, and then_

_I promise, I promise,_

_I promise,_

_We'll have peace again._

"_I know you hate it when I go away,_

_and it scares you when I take our son with me,_

_but with you my heart will always safely stay, _

_and I'll come home to you when the fighting's done._" Goku's gentle voice wavered and then stopped as the music changed. Chi-Chi smiled up at him.

"That was beautiful, Goku," she said, truly touched and impressed. She hadn't known he could sing - of course, neither had he.

"Thanks," Goku felt his cheeks grow red. Chi-Chi then yawned lightly and drifted off with another cough. She was still asleep when Gohan came home, a small bundle of yellow and white flowers in one hand.

"She's not any better?" Gohan asked, his eyes wide and worried.

"Not really. It's going to take a couple days. Come on, I'll put those in water and set them where she can see them," Goku motioned to Gohan's flowers, and Gohan nodded and handed them over.

Chi-Chi slept through the rest of the day, and would have slept through the night, except that shortly after midnight she suffered a bad dry-heave spell. Goku could only bring her water and offer a few words of comfort she could barely hear over her own retching. The following morning, her fever was still 103, and Goku sent Gohan to train with Piccolo alone again. When he brought her lunch, he also brought a brush.

"What's that for?" Chi-Chi asked raspily as she glanced at the brush.

"Your hair," Goku smiled lightly and moved around to her side. As she drank her soup, he brushed her hair out as carefully as he could. Chi-Chi was enjoying all of the attention he was giving her. It would've been perfect if she didn't feel half dead. When he was finished with her hair and she was finished with her soup, he dosed her with the cold medicine and left the room to let her rest. The rest of the day passed much as the previous day had, as did the next day, and the next day.

"Goku's not here again!" Piccolo's stare bore holes into Gohan, who stood under the dark glare calmly.

"Sorry, Mr. Piccolo, but my mom is still real. . ." Gohan started, but Piccolo took off before he could finish. "Hey!" Gohan pivoted around and watched his teacher fly towards his home. He quickly followed.

"25,543, 25,544. . ." Goku counted his sit-ups quietly. The exercise was made more challenging by the several weights he had all over his upper body. He froze in mid-motion as he sensed Piccolo's ki approaching, then continued. Piccolo landed beside him. "25,547, 25,548, Hi, Piccolo, 25,549, 25,550. . ."

"Well, I'm glad to see you doing something along the lines of training, but it hardly makes up for the days you've lost. We need to get back to work, Goku," Piccolo crossed his arms and stared at the Saiyan. Goku stopped his exercise and stood up.

"And I will, as soon as Chi-Chi is healthy again," Goku answered shortly.

"Goku, listen, I'm sorry your wife is sick, but you have to train for the Androids. Gohan can. . ." Piccolo began.

"Two and a half years," Goku cut him off.

"What?" Piccolo took a mental step back.

"I left her alone for two and a half years. Kami only knows how many times she needed me during that time, needed me when I wasn't there. Well, she needs me now, and I'm here, _and I'm not leaving her_. Not until she's completely well again. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't. I'll be back, Piccolo. Until then, just keep at it with Gohan," Goku declared, leaving no room for argument. Piccolo backed off.

"Fine," Piccolo growled softly, then turned and took to the air. Goku heaved a short sigh and then turned to his house.

"Goku. . ." Chi-Chi's voice carried to him.

Piccolo and Gohan flitted across the landscape in the light of the setting sun, seeming to appear and disappear as they sparred. Piccolo's teeth were clenched as he battled his young student, for the boy was not paying as much attention as he should. He was getting nailed by simple attacks he had learned to dodge early in his training. Piccolo smashed Gohan down into the ground and snarled in disgust.

"Gohan, pay attention! I know you're better than this! You should've been able to dodge that by a mile!" Piccolo yelled down at him.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Piccolo, but I can't concentrate. I'm worried that my mom might have something really wrong with her. Her fever won't go down," Gohan admitted as he pulled himself into a sitting position.

"I'm sorry to hear that, but that doesn't excuse sloppiness! Now, lets try again!" Piccolo barked, and braced himself. Gohan lunged at him forcefully, but part of his mind still lingered back at his house, where the last thing he had heard was his mother throwing up again.

Goku sighed softly as he listened to Chi-Chi retch. It had started as a bad coughing fit but had changed abruptly. He was getting worried, she was throwing up all the time - and her fever. His eyes darted to the almost empty medicine bottle and the bowl of cold water and the damp cloth that sat on the bedside table. Her fever still refused to break. He twitched as the retching stopped.

"G-Goku. . ." Chi-Chi's raspy voice was filled with fear. "I-I'm bringing up blood!"

"WHAT!" Goku was in the bathroom next to her the second she finished speaking. The toilet bowl was filled with blood-stained vomit. "Oh, Kami!" Goku gasped. "Just a second!" he said, and teleported away.

"Goku, where. . .?" Chi-Chi whispered to the air. She didn't feel like she could stand.

Piccolo swung a kick at Gohan that the boy evaded easily. Gohan started to deliver a smashing blow to Piccolo's knee when Goku appeared barely a foot away.

"Daddy!" Gohan turned to him in surprise.

"Finally ready to join us again?" Piccolo inquired lightly. Goku ignored him.

"Gohan, I have to take your mother to the hospital - meet us there later!" Goku said quickly, and then teleported away.

"What! Hospital! Why!" Gohan called after him, his eyes widening with fear. "I gotta go, Mr. Piccolo!" Gohan started to take off, but Piccolo's hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"He said to meet him there later. For now, lets keep training," the Namek said calmly.

"But I can't! My Mom. . .!" Gohan looked back toward his house.

"You can't help her that way. You'll just be under foot," Piccolo's voice remained firm and steady. Gohan squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth, and then heaved a frustrated sigh.

"All right, all right," Gohan murmured in defeat.

Goku ran into the Emergency Room with Chi-Chi in his arms, drawing the attention of the nurse behind the counter.

"What's the matter with her, sir?" the young man asked, his eyes locking on Chi-Chi.

"She's sick - she has a really high temperature and she just threw up blood," Goku answered quickly. The male nurse nodded and typed something into his computer.

"Okay, she'll see a doctor as soon as possible. What's her name? Is she awake?"

"Chi-Chi Son," Chi-Chi spoke up to answer both questions, then coughed.

"I'm Goku Son, her husband," Goku added, in case the young man needed to know who he was too.

"Right. Okay, would you fill these out, please? We need to know something about her past medical history before we start or we might make her worse," the nurse sent them a comforting smile as he handed Goku the paperwork and a pen. He had been there long enough to know that people didn't like the paperwork part, especially if they were in a rush to help someone, but it was necessary.

Goku took the forms and then took a seat, gently setting Chi-Chi down beside him. Chi-Chi leaned against him to feel his warmth. Goku gritted his teeth as he filled in the blanks on the forms, asking Chi-Chi questions as he went. Most of it he understood the need for, such as the questions about medicinal allergies and past illnesses, but he felt too anxious to concentrate on the questions. He just wanted to get Chi-Chi in to see the doctor. Chi-Chi moved away from him shakily to get a drink from the water cooler by her seat, but as she drank the water, she felt her stomach start to lurch again. Goku all but ripped the forms apart as Chi-Chi began to gag. He filled the remaining forms out so quickly he almost caused them to burst into flame and then turned them in.

An agonizing eleven minutes later, Chi-Chi was led into an examination room, Goku still at her side. He could do little more than watch as the doctor and nurse examined her and performed various tests, even drawing some blood for one test. His concern for Chi-Chi was so great, he never even acknowledged the needle, except for a small twitch in one eye. Once the tests were done, the nurse put Chi-Chi in a wheelchair and took her to a room, Goku right behind them. As the nurse made Chi-Chi comfortable and put in an IV, the doctor spoke with Goku.

"Well, the good news, if it can be considered such, is that she only appears to be suffering from a bad case of the flu," the doctor said calmly.

"But. . ." Goku glanced at Chi-Chi, lying in the hospital bed, moaning softly in her discomfort.

"A _really_ bad case of the flu. We're still waiting for the results of some of the tests, but I doubt they'll turn up anything else. The blood in her vomit is most likely due to the fact that she's been throwing up so frequently and violently that it's damaged her stomach lining. She's also been dehydrated from the fever and the vomiting, which is why we're putting her on an IV. We want to keep her here for at least the night for observation, though, just in case," The doctor explained in the same calm, efficient tone. Goku nodded.

"Whatever you think is best," he said agreeably, the tense nervousness he felt only hinted at. "But, people have died of the flu, haven't they?"

"Um, yes. But don't you worry about that! She's not that bad yet, and we'll make sure she doesn't get that bad," the doctor smiled to assure Goku, who gave another small nod. "I'm afraid I have other patients to see. Just hit the call button if you need something, and the nurse will come," the doctor gave Goku a light pat on the shoulder and turned on his heel.

"All right. Thanks, doctor," Goku said quietly.

"Hey, helping people is my job," the doctor flashed him another quick smile and went on his way. Goku quietly entered the room his wife was going to be staying in, and watched as the nurse finished setting things up. The only things in the room were the bed, the IV stand, a desk and chair, a TV hanging from the ceiling, and another doorway leading to a small bathroom. The IV began dripping and Chi-Chi twitched at the cold feeling that started in the top of her left hand and spread up her arm.

"Now, you just press that button if you need anything, all right, Hon?" the nurse pointed to a button in the side of the bed, and Chi-Chi nodded weakly. "Get some rest," the nurse instructed and then almost walked into Goku. "Don't be too long, okay? I know you're concerned, but she needs to sleep," she told the tall Saiyan.

"I know," Goku answered quietly. The nurse gave one final smile and left. Goku pulled up a chair and sat next to the bed, taking Chi-Chi's right hand. "The doctor says it's just a bad case of the flu, and that you'll be fine. But they want you to stay here tonight so they can keep an eye on you, and probably so the IV can get some liquids and nutrition back into you," he told Chi-Chi in a low voice.

"Okay. . .but I was just getting used to sleeping with you in the bed again," Chi-Chi croaked thinly. Goku forced a smile.

"I'll stay right here," Goku answered, and gently squeezed her hand. "I won't leave unless they kick me out."

"Good," Chi-Chi sighed lightly. "I feel stronger when you're with me." Goku could only nod as he felt his throat tighten. Watching his wife lay there in the hospital bed, all he could think of was ((I was supposed to be the one who got sick. . .))

Gohan walked to the room quickly; it was all he could do to keep himself from running. The lady at the front desk had told him where to go, and he could feel his father's ki like a homing beacon. He found the right room and looked inside. His mother was in bed, his father beside her, an IV hooked to her arm. Gohan's control broke and he ran into the room.

"Mom! Mom! Are you okay?" he said louder than he should have, and Goku waved an arm at him to hush him.

"She's no worse than before, and they're giving her stronger medicine now," Goku explained quickly.

"I'm okay, Gohan. Just a little hot," Chi-Chi reached out and gently gave his head a pat. Goku moved before Gohan could, and moved her blankets a bit to let her cool off a little. Then he put the covers back. "Thank you."

"No problem," Goku smiled at her sweetly.

"I would've been here sooner, but Mr. Piccolo thought we should keep training and that I would've just gotten in the way. . ." Gohan started babbling, seeking forgiveness for being so late.

"It's all right, Gohan. You didn't need to be here earlier, there was nothing you could've done," Chi-Chi gave him a small smile.

"Listen, Gohan, why don't you head home and get yourself some dinner. Your mom needs to sleep," Goku said, gazing at his son evenly in the eyes.

"But I just got here. Can't I stay a little longer?" Gohan objected. Goku gave his son a pitying look and nodded.

"Yes, but only a little longer," Goku said.

"So what did the doctors say?" Gohan asked, his eyes on his mother's flushed, sweaty face.

"He said it was just a bad case of the flu," Goku answered quietly.

"Then why did you bring her here, Daddy? What happened?" Gohan's young voice quivered with fear.

"She. . .she threw up blood. I couldn't think of anything else to do. I was so frightened," Goku diverted his eyes, almost feeling like he had just looked weak in front of his son. But Gohan only nodded in understanding.

"It was the only thing to do. What did the doctor say about it?" Gohan wanted in on everything that had happened. Goku gave him the entire run down, everything the doctor had told him. Chi-Chi listened quietly.

"So that's it. She's going to stay here tonight, and then in the morning, if the doctors think it's okay, I'll take her home," Goku concluded.

"All right. That makes sense," Gohan said strongly, though his eyes flickered with nervousness as he watched his mother start another round of harsh coughing. After a few more minutes, Gohan reluctantly left with the promise to be back in the morning. A nurse walked by as the boy left, and glanced in at Goku and Chi-Chi.

"You'd best leave soon, too, Sir. Visiting hours end in ten minutes," she told him faintly. Goku barely acknowledged her. Once she had passed by, Goku got up and shut the door, then returned to Chi-Chi's side. She coughed and hacked painfully, her fever keeping her face bright red. As it grew later, she tried to sleep, but she couldn't get comfortable.

"My whole body aches, and this isn't my bed," Chi-Chi muttered softly, and then flew into a coughing fit.

"Try to sleep, Sweetheart," Goku whispered gently as her coughing finally subsided. Chi-Chi sighed quietly, and then rolled her head to him.

"Will. . .will you sing that lullaby again?" she asked. For a moment, Goku's mind went blank. What lullaby? He managed to remember before she noticed the confusion in his eyes.

"Oh, sure! Let me see, how did it go? I sorta made it up on the spot," he observed, and ran through his memories for the words. "Right, got it! _I know you hate it when I go away, And it scares you when I take our son with me. But with you my heart will always safely stay, And I'll_ _come home to you when the fighting's done_. . ." He sang until she finally fell asleep, and not too long after he began to lightly doze beside her.

It was around midnight when Goku's eyes flew open again. Chi-Chi's breaths were ragged, and her face was even redder than before. Goku cupped her cheeks quickly and felt his heart stop. It wasn't possible, but she was even hotter than before. Her fever was climbing! ((NO!)) he screamed on the inside. ((It can't. . .if it gets much higher, she'll die!)) He couldn't stand this, his wife was suffering and he was helpless to make it stop. ((Wait-!)) an idea leapt into his mind. He had only done it once before, and it had been more than a little rough. He'd have to be sure to be careful. Goku clasped Chi-Chi's hand and closed his eyes. He focused on his ki, making it flow like water from his hands into her body. It moved smoothly for a few seconds, then got away from him and stuttered, coming in quick jolts. Goku gasped and let go of her, afraid he had just made things worse. He gritted his teeth as he watched Chi-Chi half-gasp, half-cry, and jerk before becoming perfectly still. He knew he'd done it clumsily, but her breathing was deep and slow, and her face looked a little less rosy. He sighed quietly, feeling very tired. ((Funny. . .didn't feel this tired before. I didn't use up that much energy, did I?)) he wondered as he dropped to sleep with his head on the bed, one hand grasping Chi-Chi's non-IV hand.

The rattling sound of a cart finally made Goku stir. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, blinking at the sunlight peeking around the curtain of the room's window. He looked at a clock on the wall - 8:00 am.

"Well! You're finally awake, Mr. Son!" a cheerful female voice said, and Goku turned to see a nurse with a tray of food and a bottle of medicine walk into the room. "We tried to wake you last night around one, but you wouldn't budge." Goku blinked. He must have been really out of it if they hadn't been able to wake him. How much of his ki had he given to Chi-Chi?

"I was tired," he said to the nurse, and turned as he heard Chi-Chi sigh. Her eyes batted open and she yawned. A smile spread across Goku's face; Chi-Chi's cheeks had faded back to their normal color, and the hand he held was far cooler than it had been.

"I must say, you look much better this morning, Mrs. Son. Let's take your temperature real quick," the nurse pulled a thermometer from her pocket, took a few seconds to prep it, then slid it into Chi-Chi's mouth. A couple of moments later, the nurse took the small device back and looked at it. She smiled brightly. "Wonderful! Your fever's broken. Your temperature is back down to normal."

"Yeah? That's great!" Goku sent his beaming smile to the nurse for a brief moment before returning it to his wife.

"How's the stomach? Think you can eat now?" The nurse continued in her quick rundown of Chi-Chi's condition.

"Um, it seems okay for right now," Chi-Chi answered, a bit surprised. Her hand suddenly reached up and touched her throat. "Hey. . .my throat's not so sore now."

"All right, lets see if you can eat something and hold it down," The nurse said, and quickly set up the tray-arm over the bed and put a bowl of the hospital equivalent of Cream of Wheat down in front of Chi-Chi. Chi-Chi felt her stomach rumble loudly, aching for food. The IV might've been putting nutrients into her bloodstream, but it did nothing to still her hunger. She ate the entire bowl of Cream of Wheat as quickly as she dared, and then reached for the glass of water that the nurse had provided. As her fingers encircled the glass, it cracked and shattered.

"Oh my Kami! Are you all right! I'm so sorry, I didn't realize that glass was so weak! I'll get some bandages and disinfectant!" The nurse squeaked in horrified shock as the small cuts on Chi-Chi's hand caused by the glass began to bleed. She took off to get the bandages and Peroxide, and Chi-Chi gazed at her hand in bewilderment.

"How did that happen?" she murmured.

"Oops. I guess I did give you a little too much," Goku put a hand behind his head and dropped his eyes.

"Gave me too much what?" Chi-Chi turned on him. Goku looked her in the eyes, and her heart ached at the pain she saw in his dark eyes.

"Last night, your fever started rising - fast. Even after all of that medicine they gave you. I-I couldn't think of anything else to do, I was so. . .frightened," Goku moved forward and pulled her to him in a tight embrace. "I gave you some of my ki. I sent a little too much of my ki into your body."

Chi-Chi was stunned. He had given her some of his strength, his life energy? And over done it, he was so worried. He loved her enough to try something so dangerous. Tears welled in her eyes, but she fought them back, not wanting Goku to think he'd hurt her or that she was sad he'd done what he'd done.

"Goku, thank you," she whispered as she held him as tightly as she could.

"Ahem" a voice said, and they turned to the doorway where the doctor stood with his clip board, a grin pulling at the corners of his mouth. The nurse was with him, a roll of gauze and a bottle of Peroxide in hand. "Well, I'm glad you're feeling so much better this morning, Mrs. Son. I'd like to examine you, if you don't mind," the doctor said.

"Right, of course," Chi-Chi nodded, and the nurse came in and quickly tended to her hand. The doctor ran her through a few quick tests, and smiled brightly at the end.

"Everything seems to be back to normal. I guess you just needed stronger medicine and a good night's sleep," he observed. Chi-Chi and Goku glanced at each other and grinned.

"Guess so," Chi-Chi answered cheerfully.

"Not that it matters much now, but I have the results of the last few tests here," the doctor motioned to his clipboard.

"Oh? What do they say?" Goku asked.

"Well, that she had a particularly nasty case of the flu. But the flu virus itself was a bit mutated - like it came into contact with another virus and bonded with it, making an overall tougher virus. But obviously, not unconquerable. We're still studying it, but since you're well again, you can leave when you're ready," the doctor glanced over the notes on the clipboard as he spoke. Goku felt his heart clench. Had he brought something back from Namek or Yardrat that had bonded with a flu virus and almost killed his wife? He swallowed softly and prayed that wasn't the case.

Gohan was overjoyed to see his mother walk through the front door, strong and healthy again. He almost crushed her as he hugged her.

"So, I suppose it's back to training for both of you," Chi-Chi observed with a glitter of sadness in her eyes.

"Yeah, it is. But I'll try to spend more time with you, too," Goku said.

"That's all I ask," Chi-Chi leaned into him contentedly, and he wrapped an arm around her. "That. . .and possibly that lullaby every now and again." Goku chuckled before he could stop himself.

The night after the Cell Game, as Chi-Chi cried herself to sleep, she thought she felt Goku's warmth, and heard him singing very softly:

"_I know you hate it when I go away_

_And it scares you when I take our son with me_

_But with you my heart will always safely stay,_

_And I wish I could come home to you. . ._

_Now the fighting's done. . ._"

End

And thus ends Chi-Chi's battle with the killer mutant flu! I hope that last bit isn't too sad, but I felt I had to add it, since Goku ended up not being able to keep the lullaby's promise.


End file.
